Beginning of Essay
"Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator is a ruthless despot who has brought enormous misery on his own people. It is a pity he remains in power..." (Finley ). The tension between Iran and Iraq had deep roots. Long-standing major problems included rivalries between th ....

Middle of Essay
.... portion of Iran; an area called Arabistan by Iraq and Khuzestan by Iran, and recognized Iranian control of the disputed Gulf Islands. Saddam Hussein took over the presidency in 1979. When the Iranian monarchy was overthrown, Iraq denounced the Algiers Treaty and demanded restoration of the eastern bank of the Shatt al Arab as the border. After a period of mutual sporadic border violations and skirmishes, Iraq attacked its neighbor in the summer of 1980. Iran appeared weak and disorganized and the Iraqi president thought he could easily win. The Ronald W Reagan administration took office in 1981 when the war between Iran and Iraq was only a few mont ....